D3-1 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: The Secret Serum!
by wsdsrdbw4096
Summary: As the title suggests, this story is a rewrite of the SDMI episode of the same name and sequel to Howl of the Fright Hound! 12th entry of my mainstream reboot of SDMI. Rated T due to the scene depicted in the opening chapter. Please read and review!
1. A nightmare

**Author's Note: And now comes the twelfth installment of my mainstream reboot of SDMI, folks!**

**In case any of you folks have missed, I've split the Dimension Three into two different timelines similar to the two timelines that currently exist for Dimension Five.**

**This mainstream reboot of SDMI is part of Timeline One, while the new series _Paranormal Instincts_, which has taken its inspiration from both SDMI and EauDeDream's story _Nocturnal Instinct,_ is part of Timeline Two with its own storylines.**

**By the way, in case anyone didn't notice in _Howl of the Fright Hound_, the name Karmah, which is the name I've came up with for the Crystal Cove Animal Asylum for the Criminally Insane, is an anagram of the name Arkham.**

**Yes. The same Arkham of the Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane from the DC Comics stories. I just thought I should point this out before continuing on with this twelfth installment of my SDMI reboot.**

**I don't own _Scooby-Doo_. Hanna-Barbera Productions and Warner Bros. does.**

* * *

Chapter 1: A nightmare

It was a dark and stormy night in Crystal Cove as NCIS Special Agent Norville "Shaggy" Rogers found himself inside the closed-down Steelco Industries steel mill, where he was anxiously searching through the main floor of the mill with his flashlights on.

"Freddie?" Shaggy called out as he looked around, the flashlight shaking from his anxious mood. "Velma? Daphne?"

Then, turning towards the other side, he continued, "Scooby-Doo?"

A sudden flash of lightning caused the agent to jump, though he calmed down when he realized that it was only the lightning from outside.

As it started raining heavily outside, Shaggy continued on with the light from outside shining onto the NCIS badge clipped to his belt.

"Gang?" Shaggy called out.

He paused when he heard groaning, and he swiftly turned around with his flashlight shining towards the source of the sound.

In the distance, he recognized a figure laying on the floor motionless, and with his heart racing, he ran over towards the figure.

As he got closer to the figure, he then saw that it was a Great Dane, and his mind began to race as the sight began to confirm his worst fear.

"Oh, no..." Shaggy said as he stopped, knelt down at the figure and turned it around.

The sight of Scooby's lifeless body, complete with his trademark "SD" tag and the black spots and brown fur, confirmed his worst fear.

Shaggy tried to wake the Great Dane up, though no matter how hard he shook his old pal, it was clear that Scooby's not waking up.

"I'm...so sorry, Scoob." Shaggy sobbed as he gently lifted one of Scooby's paws before placing it back down.

Standing up, the NCIS agent then looked beyond Scooby's body and saw a trail of blood leading into the nearby room, and his heart began to jump again.

The blood trail soon led Shaggy into a large storage room, where he stopped and continued to follow the blood trail with the light from his flashlight.

Shaggy began to tense as the flashlight shined onto a figure that was chained to the wall with blood all over his white shirt, and he swallowed when he recognized Fred's body.

"No...!" Shaggy whimpered, during which he saw the trail of blood leading away from Fred's body.

Taking a deep breath, the NCIS agent followed the other trail of blood, whereupon the scene shifted towards a nearby wall.

Through the shadows projected on the wall, it can be seen that the trail of blood led him to a headless body.

"Velma!" Shaggy gasped as he resisted the urge to throw up at the sight of Velma's body, who was clearly decapitated. Her trademark orange turtleneck sweater was dyed red from the blood, and as he noted the flies flying around her body, Shaggy continued to follow the blood trail.

As he did so, he heard muffled cries, and he sharply turned towards its source and shined his flashlight at it.

"Daphne!" Shaggy exclaimed as he recognized Daphne, who was chained to the wall and gagged.

Rushing over towards the redhead, Shaggy quickly move to remove the gag.

"Sh-sh-Shaggy!" Daphne choked, and Shaggy quickly moved to use his picks to unlock the chains.

Once the redhead was freed, she immediately ran into Shaggy's arms and broke down sobbing.

"It's okay...Daph." Shaggy said as he stroked her hair. "I'm here now."

As Daphne continued to sob, she looked up towards behind Shaggy and widened her eyes.

"Sh-Shaggy!" She gasped.

"Huh?" Shaggy asked as she instinctively pointed towards what she was seeing.

"B-behind you!" Daphne shouted.

Shaggy turned towards where Daphne was pointing towards, only to widen his eyes at the sight in front of them. "Zoinks!"

Those were the very last words he blurted out before the figure leaped out of the shadows and towards the duo, during which the figure revealed itself to be an advanced version of the Destroido Robot Hound.

* * *

_May 23, 2012_

It was 4:00 in the early morning when Shaggy woke up in cold sweat, and he panted as he surveyed his surroundings.

He saw that he was still in his basement bedroom, and looking around, he saw Scooby still laying on his bed near his legs, snoring away.

With a sigh, Shaggy scratched his head as he laid back down onto the pillow and turned towards the alarm clock.

It may have been two days since he and the gang had to deal with the menace of the tampered Robot Hound smashing its way across Crystal Cove, but the nightmares like the one he just had kept coming.

Watching Scooby snoring away, Shaggy sighed as he looked towards the window.

Scooby hasn't exactly been himself in the days since the Robot Hound case was closed, and as Shaggy had noticed, the Great Dane hasn't been eating as much as he usually did lately.

Scooby's name may have been cleared, but the menace of the Robot Hound remained fresh on their minds.

Shaggy drew out a breath as he looked up towards the ceiling, and he frowned as he tried to recall details of the nightmare he just had.

Apparently, in that nightmare, he is a special agent of a federal law enforcement agency tasked with investigating crimes involving members and personnel of the United States Navy and Marine Corps.

It was an agency whose acronym is the same as that of a television series depicting a fictional team based in its Washington field office, an acronym that Shaggy had at times confused with the television series CSI.

Nodding at himself, Shaggy felt that he knew the source of him being depicted as an NCIS agent in the nightmare he just woke up from.

It came from him watching the rerun of an episode shortly before bedtime, where the scene following the opening sequence began with a man seated at his desk and speaking angrily on the phone.

"For the last time, my name is Anthony DiNozzo, Jr." The man said angrily while his female colleague walked by him, watching him on the phone with an amused look on her face. "My father is Anthony DiNozzo, Sr. He lives in New York, I live in Washington, DC. Junior, Senior. Is that so complicated?"

As the man waited for the party on the other end to respond, his female colleague joined another colleague, who was seated at a desk and watching the man on the phone.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Tony's been trying to withdraw money from a bank in New York." Her colleague responded as they watched the man on the phone. "Sounds like they've confused his account with one of his fathers, and he can't get the money."

As the woman smirked in response, the man on the phone said, "So you want me to spell my name again? Okay!"

Then, without missing a beat, the man continued, "It's big 'D' as in Dimwit, little 'I' as in idiot, big 'N' as in Nimrod, little 'O' as in Obtuse..."

As the man on the phone said, "Double 'Z's as in ZZ Top!", Shaggy remembered having a light chuckle.

Ever since he first watched that particular episode, every time someone brought up the band ZZ Top, Shaggy was always reminded of that particular scene and can't help but chuckle.

**(For _NCIS _fans out there, what episode was Shaggy watching before bedtime?)**

He then sighed as he looked towards the alarm clock on the nightstand.

_4:15._ He thought to himself before he pulled the sheets over him.

Looking at Scooby for one more time, Shaggy sighed again before he slowly closed his eyes, hoping that he would catch up on the lost sleep.

Shaggy mentally began counting sheep before he slowly drifted away and returned back to dream land.

* * *

**Please read and review!**


	2. The discussion and the auction

Chapter 2: The discussion and the auction

That morning, Colton and Paula Rogers sat at the dining room table and looked on as Shaggy and Scooby continued to poke at their breakfast bowl.

The parents sighed as it has been ten minutes since the duo got up from bed and came down for breakfast, yet normally by that point, Shaggy and Scooby would've already finish their breakfast and head out for school.

It was clear that Shaggy and Scooby weren't eating as much as they often do, and the parents shared looks with each other before Paula decided to clear her throat.

"If you boys keep this up, you're both gonna be late for school." Paula said.

Shaggy and Scooby only stared at their breakfast in response, and Paula looked at Colton in concern.

The banker sighed before saying, "Look, you boys haven't been yourselves since you got yourselves dragged into that mess on Monday, not that it was your fault."

"And it's worrying." Paula added as Shaggy looked up. "What happened on Monday is eating away at the both of you, and your father and I can't just sit by and watch you boys relieving the memories from that day."

Shaggy sighed as he drew out a breath while Colton continued, "You boys and your friends need someone to talk to, because if you keep those painful memories bottled up, it's not going to end well."

Shaggy and Scooby both nodded, though it was clear to the parents that something deep down was bothering the boys.

With a sigh, Paula said, "If you boys don't want to talk about it, at least finish your breakfast or you're gonna be hungry the whole day."

"Not that it's gonna make much of a difference, since when has there been a time the boys were never hungry." Colton muttered.

Shaggy and Scooby shared looks with each other before they reluctantly began to dig into their breakfast.

Watching the boys finally digging in, Paula glanced at her husband and remarked, "Now that's more like it."

* * *

Later at Crystal Cove Central High School, much of the school day went by as usual, though it was clear that neither in the gang were in good spirits.

Since that showdown with the tampered Robot Hound, Fred and the girls haven't been meeting up together like they always do, nor have they met up with Shaggy and Scooby at all during lunch period.

It was clear that the trauma from the encounter with the Robot Hound has had a profound affect on each of the gang, on top of the nightmares they all have been having in the past couple of nights.

Fred certainly looked like he could use a good nights sleep, yet he has spent the past couple of nights pulling an all-nighter, digging deep into setting up a new design for a trap.

For her part, Velma hasn't been sleeping much either in the past couple of nights, instead spending most of the time in her room reading and studying various subjects, those that she deemed as not going to remind her of the trauma they all shared from that fateful Monday.

As for Daphne, well, it was apparent that the trauma from Monday's encounter with the Robot Hound has resulted in her not caring much about makeup and all of the usual stuff she usually cares about.

As a result, when Shaggy ran into the redhead at the lockers during lunch period, he almost didn't recognize her as she unlocked her locker door.

"D-Daphne?" Shaggy asked, and the redhead turned towards him.

Immediately, Shaggy can see the effects of the lack of sleep on the redhead. Her eyes looked more puffy, and it was clear that her hair looked more wrinkled instead of smooth.

"Shag." Daphne sighed as she opened her locker door, paused and turned towards him.

For a while, the two friends didn't speak a single word, though it was clear to both of them that they both have a lot in their minds.

It was Shaggy who eventually broke the awkward silence as he asked, "Like, I take it that you didn't sleep well last night, right?"

"You can say that." Daphne nodded. "And I sure can say the same to you."

"It's that Robot Hound." Shaggy sighed. "It keeps coming back into my dreams, and I kept dreaming that it hunted down Freddie, Velma, you and poor Scoob and I tried to rescue you guys, only to arrive too late for Sco-"

At that last sentence, Daphne held a finger up and shushed him with a firm nod.

"I can't say I'm surprised." Daphne said. "Especially when I've been having similar dreams lately."

Shaggy placed his right hand on his forehead as he said, "Like, since that encounter with the Robot Hound, I've been thinking about something lately."

"Like what?" Daphne arched her eyebrows.

"Do you really think we can continue on with our mystery-solving the way we always do, especially when what we've stumbled upon came close to killing us recently." Shaggy wondered out loud as he turned towards the redhead.

"Not to mention we've got an insane parrot on the loose." Daphne nodded.

There was some silence between the duo as they shared looks with each other.

"I honestly wouldn't wanna think about that." Shaggy finally said. "That parrot clearly is up to something, like, I just have this feeling."

"And it's already stressful enough to think about that." Daphne agreed. "When you bring in what we went through on Monday, we really need to do something to calm down and deflate."

"Yeah, though I'm worried that if we try to deflate, we may end up evoking the trauma from Monday's tangle." Shaggy said.

"Although by this point, we've been having enough nightmares that opening up and relieving those memories may be a walk in the park." Daphne said.

"But still." Shaggy sighed as he looked at Daphne in the eye. "I'm really worried about losing you and Scooby. Like, if there's something that tampered robot has taught me, it's that we sometimes need to step back and not take too many chances, especially when such chances could get us in danger."

"Though I'm not sure if Freddie and Velma has received that memo." Daphne turned around, and Shaggy followed her gaze, spotting Fred and Velma walking down the hallway with their binders.

Eying the way the two weren't interacting with each other, Shaggy remarked, "I suppose we're about to find out on that."

Fred and Velma soon approached their lockers and stopped when they saw Shaggy and Daphne watching them, then the blonde said, "Hey guys."

"Freddie, you sound like you could use a good night's sleep." Velma said.

"I could say the same to you, Velms." Fred said as he yawned.

"Don't mind me, I just needed to keep ahead of my classes if I want to get into Darrow University next year." Velma scoffed.

"A lack of sleep isn't gonna give you any favours." Daphne pointed out.

"Coming from someone who hasn't slept much herself lately." Velma pouted as she turned towards the redhead.

"Look, I know that you guys wanna move on from what has happened on Monday, but burying yourselves in your work or studies isn't going to help matters." Daphne said.

"I'm fine." Velma insisted.

"Yeah, sure." Daphne rolled her eyes. "Your puffy eyes and messy hair tells me otherwise."

"What's your point?" Velma grumbled.

"If there's something that I've learned from Monday's rampage, it's that there are some things that are too dangerous for us to take any chances on." Daphne said.

"What are you saying, Daph?" Fred asked.

"Like, I'm sure she's saying that we should take a step back and take a break from all of this crazy stuff, especially with that crazy parrot on the loose." Shaggy said.

Fred and Velma shared looks with each other, during which Shaggy continued, "I mean it, guys. Dealing with all of this crazy stuff is already stressful, and with what we've went through on Monday, there's no way the trauma is gonna go away if we keep ourselves in stressful and dangerous situations."

Fred and Velma continued to glance at each other, then they turned towards Shaggy and Daphne and they both sighed.

"I suppose the Shagster's got a point." Fred conceded.

"So it's settled, then." Daphne said. "We take a break from all of this mystery-solving for now while we try to figure a way out of these nightmares we've been having lately."

"Agreed." Velma nodded.

"Awesome, then." Shaggy said. "How about we hang out at the Clam Cabin after school and relax at the beach?"

Fred and the girls shared looks with each other, then they all nodded.

"Sounds like an awesome idea, Shag." Fred smiled.

The others all smiled in agreement, though little did they realize that something dark was about to happen that night.

* * *

That night, over at the Crystal Cove Community Center, a charity auction was well underway.

The auctioneer was standing on the stage with a painting on display while Nan Blake and her friend Shella Altoonian looked on at the side of the stage.

"Do I have $5600?" The auctioneer asked. "Going once! Going twice!"

When no one in the crowd responded, the auctioneer slammed the gravel onto the pad as he shouted, "Sold! To the lady in the light purple dress and wearing the brown beret for $5500!"

As the lady in question went onto the stage to claim the painting, Nan and Shella clapped their hands as they shared looks with each other.

"I sure can't thank you enough for helping organize this charity auction, Shella." Nan said to her friend.

"Oh, no need to thank me, Nan." Shella waved a hand. "That's what friends are for, isn't it?"

"Yes, but it's probably time for me to repay the favour, isn't it?" Nan asked as she turned towards her.

"You never need to repay any favours you 'owe' me, Nan." Shella sighed. "In my eyes, you never need to repay anything."

"If you say so." Nan nodded as they turned towards the stage, where the stage assistants were finished putting up a new painting onto the display frame.

"Alright, next up is the _Full Moon in __Transylvania_, folks!" The auctioneer announced as the stage hand placed the painting onto the display frame.

The audience gasped at the sight of the dark and gloomy-looking painting, which featured a large castle painted with a bright full moon in the background.

As the auctioneer explained the background behind the painting, Shella glanced at her wristwatch before turning to Nan.

"Can you hold the floor for me, Nan?" She asked. "I need to tend to something very urgent."

"Sure." Nan nodded, and Shella nodded back as she took her leave.

Nan turned back towards the auctioneer as he continued, "Bidding starts at $100. Do I have $150?"

Seeing no response from the audience, the auctioneer leaned forward and asked, "Anyone?"

Nan sighed as she looked on, and as she turned towards the crowd, she can tell that some of the audience members were getting bored.

Not that she blamed them. The building, which was built and opened in the early-1970s, certainly looked boring on the inside, and she can tell that some of them had dozed off and fallen asleep.

Nan sighed as she noted the time. It's getting late and there are still a few more paintings to be auctioned off.

"Anyone?" The auctioneer asked. "Come on, there's gotta be someone who would be interested in the _Full Moon in Transylvania_, folks!"

However, nothing in the creation of mankind could prepare anyone in the room for what was to come, as at that very moment, a very loud shriek can be heard from the other end of the room.

Everyone looked up towards the source of the shriek, and they all gasped when a creature in a cape and with pointy ears, without warning, began swooping down.

The auctioneer ducked down as the creature swooped low towards the stage, during which he exclaimed, "Everyone evacuate!"

Instinctively, the audience members all rushed over towards the main exit doors, only for the lights to suddenly go out!

"This painting is mine!" The creature exclaimed. "Give it to me!"

As the lights went out, the auctioneer fumbled for the flashlight before turning it on and rushed over to the light switch.

When he flicked the lights back on, everyone gasped when the creature was nowhere to be seen!

"It's gone!" The auctioneer exclaimed.

Nan, who was still on the stage when it all went down, turned towards the display frame and gasped.

"So is the painting!" She added.

There was some murmurs from the audience members as they all pondered what to do next.

* * *

**Please read and review!**


	3. An encounter and nighttime excursions

Chapter 3: An encounter while grocery shopping and night time excursions

_May 24, 2012_

That late afternoon, shortly after returning home from school, Shaggy was out for a grocery trip as usual on Thursdays.

Inside Mitch's Supermarket, he was pushing the shopping cart around with a few items loaded.

As he pushed the cart into the meats section, Shaggy paused as he consulted the grocery list his mother Paula had left for him.

"Quite the day to go out for grocery shopping, isn't it?" A voice directed at him suddenly said, prompting Shaggy to look up and turned around towards its source.

He widened his eyes when he saw Nan Blake, Daphne's mother, picking out a pack of chicken from the meats section. There was no one else down the corridor or nearby.

When Shaggy didn't respond to her questioning, Nan stepped forward and waved her hand at his face.

"I said it's quite the day to go out for grocery shopping, isn't it, young man?" Nan repeated her question as she stepped too close to his comfort.

In spite of feeling intimidated by the redhead's presence, Shaggy didn't step back an inch as he spoke.

"Like, other than the usual cloudiness in the sky, Mrs. Blake, the weather's fine." He said.

"Hmm." Nan grunted. "I'm not exactly talking about the weather, darling."

Shaggy swallowed as the redhead continued, "Rather, I was talking about this very day when I just happen to run into you while doing grocery-shopping here in the store."

"Er...running into me ruined your day, Mrs. Blake?" Shaggy asked meekly.

Nan almost immediately began chuckling, and Shaggy wasn't sure how to gauge the response.

Either she was laughing about the ridiculousness of his answer or she was chuckling about how he was able to deduce the source of her poor mood that quickly, Shaggy wasn't exactly sure which was worse.

Finally, Nan calmed down before she turned towards him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Not exactly, darling." Nan said as she smiled at him, though Shaggy wasn't sure if the smile on her face was sincere. "My day was already under the weather long before you enter the picture."

"Um...is that, like, a good thing or bad thing, Mrs. Blake?" Shaggy asked.

"Good or bad, it doesn't really matter now, does it?" Nan asked.

When Shaggy stared at her in confusion and didn't say a word, Nan sighed and waved her hand.

"Never mind." Nan said dismissively. "Either way, you wouldn't believe how my night went last night."

Glancing towards his back, Shaggy was silently hoping that someone else will enter the aisle and put an end to the awkwardness engulfing the conversation.

"Though considering that you and your friends, my daughter included, have seen things, I highly doubt you're gonna be surprised by what happened last night." Nan continued.

"What sort of thing are we talking about here, Mrs. Blake?" Shaggy asked.

"Namely the fact that a flying creature crashed the charity auction I've organized last night and stole a priceless painting." Nan replied simply.

Shaggy blinked. "Like...a flying creature?"

"The creature looked very hideous and I could've sworn it had fangs like a vampire." Nan said.

"V-v-vampire?" Shaggy shuttered.

"Oh, please." Nan waved her hand dismissively. "I'm sure that it's just some prank pulled by someone looking for trouble. After all, there's no such things as vampires, and besides, no one at the auction wanted to buy the stolen painting."

As Shaggy exhaled, Nan glanced at her wristwatch and added, "Either way, time's flying, and I'm sure you don't want to return home late with your groceries now, do you?"

Shaggy only shook his head, and Nan nodded.

"I've thought so, too." Nan said. "I'm sure your parents, especially your father, would appreciate you returning home with the groceries on time."

She then proceeded to take her leave as she continued, "Better not hold you up much longer, do say hi to your father for me, and try to stay out of trouble, huh?"

Without moving a muscle, Shaggy simply stood at his spot as he watched Nan Blake walking down the aisle before she disappeared around the corner.

* * *

Later that night, after dinner, Shaggy was taking Scooby out for a walk as usual.

"Like, you wouldn't believe who I ran into at Mitch's Supermarket during my grocery run this afternoon, Scoob." Shaggy said.

"Rho?" Scooby asked as they entered the nearby park.

"Daph's mother." Shaggy replied.

Immediately, Scooby looked concerned as he asked, "Rhat did rhe say to rou, Raggy?"

"Other than telling me about some vampire crashing the charity auction she organized last night and stole a priceless painting, nothing much." Shaggy frowned.

"Rait...re vampire?" Scooby asked.

"Yeah, though she dismissed it as someone who might be looking for trouble." Shaggy shrugged. "And besides, according to her, no one was interested in bidding for the stolen painting."

"Rell, whatever rit ris, let's not worry roo much about rhat." Scooby said.

"Of course, Scoob." Shaggy said. "After all, it's already bad enough that we have to deal with that...thing on the loose this past Monday, let's not get too deep into last night's mess."

"Ron't remind me." Scooby said as they continued walking in the park.

A short while later, the duo were at the water fountain in the middle of the park when they spotted a familiar-looking redhead feeding pigeons.

The redhead glanced towards their direction and paused when she spotted them, and then she got up as Shaggy and Scooby walked towards her.

"Guys." Daphne said in greeting.

"Daph." Shaggy greeted back as he opened up his arms and shared an embrace with her. "The night's young, eh?"

"You can say that again, Shag." Daphne smiled before she knelt down to Scooby and rubbed his head. "How're you holding up, Scooby?"

"Rust fine." Scooby replied. "Rafter everything re went through ron Monday."

"Don't remind me." Daphne winced. "We were all worried about you after everything that had happened."

"Ri'm sure rou all were." Scooby nodded.

* * *

Later, the trio were walking down the sidewalk as Shaggy and Scooby accompanied Daphne back to Blake Mansion.

"So anyways, you wouldn't believe who I ran into this afternoon during my grocery run at Mitch's Supermarket, Daph." Shaggy said.

"Was it my Mom?" Daphne asked as they paused. "She mentioned that she saw you at Mitch's Supermarket this afternoon."

"Yeah, it was her." Shaggy nodded. "And I take it that she told you about her charity auction last night."

"She did." Daphne nodded. "Though I'm perplexed why would someone go through the trouble of stealing a painting that no one was interested in bidding for."

"Your mom told you what the stolen painting was?" Shaggy raised an eyebrow.

"Just some old dark spooky painting known as _Full Moon in Transylvania_." Daphne replied. "But either way, why are we worried about some stolen spooky painting, guys?"

"Like, you can probably say that I'm surprised that your Mom told me that." Shaggy shrugged. "She also asked me to say hi to my Dad."

"Hmm." Daphne nodded thoughtfully. "Either way, let's just head home and call it a night, guys."

"Of course." Shaggy agreed as they resumed walking down the sidewalk.

After a few minutes, the trio were at the front door of Blake Mansion.

"Anyways, thanks for walking with me to home, guys." Daphne said as she held Shaggy's hands.

"Rit was our pleasure, Raphne." Scooby said.

Daphne nodded before she turned towards Shaggy, and there was some silence between the duo as Scooby wandered off.

Eventually, Shaggy broke the silence.

"Like...'night, Daph." Shaggy said.

"Night, Shag." Daphne smiled.

Another silence followed before their lips moved closer, though they would've joined if it weren't for Scooby noticing something when he wandered off.

"Ruh...guys?" Scooby asked.

Shaggy and Daphne paused before they turned towards the Great Dane and the former asked, "What is it, Scoob?"

"Rere's someone there rat re gate." Scooby said as he pointed towards the front gate.

Shaggy and Daphne turned towards where Scooby was pointing at, upon which the latter gasped when she recognized the shadowed figure.

"Mom?" Daphne called out.

Upon hearing Daphne's voice, though, Nan immediately ran off down the street, prompting the trio to glance at each other in confusion briefly before they quickly took off behind her in pursuit.

Reaching the street, the trio immediately turned right and ran after Nan.

"Mom, where are you going?" Daphne called out.

Nan didn't respond, and the trio continued with their pursuit.

"Like, your mother's fast for someone her age, Daph!" Shaggy panted as he and Scooby struggled to keep up with the redhead.

Eventually, the trio chased Nan to the outskirts of downtown when she rounded a corner.

By the time the trio caught up, though, to their surprise and astonishment, Nan Blake was nowhere to be seen down the deserted street.

"Mom?" Daphne called out once again. No response.

The trio looked around before Shaggy said, "Like, that's really strange."

"Too strange if you ask me." Daphne said. "My Mom would never go out alone at this time of the night without telling us or Dad ahead of time."

"Question ris, rere?" Scooby piped up.

"And whether or not this has something to do with the theft at the charity auction last night, guys." Daphne added.

At Daphne's last remark, Shaggy sighed.

"Knowing us, I won't be surprised one bit if that is the case, Daph." Shaggy said.

* * *

**Please read and review!**


	4. A couple of discussions & a relevation

Chapter 4: Couple of discussions and a relevation

_May 25, 2012_

Velma was seated at her usual spot in the chemistry lab in attendance of the science club meeting as usual during lunch period, though she wasn't exactly paying attention fully as Marcie was explaining a thesis to the club.

Instead, her eyes were mostly on the nearby window and she sighed as she looked outside.

It was cloudy outside as usual, and even though the clouds weren't as dark as it was this past Monday, when they dealt with the destructive rampage of the tampered Robot Hound, the dark clouds still reminded her of the close calls they had.

With her chin on her hand, Velma sighed, and she blinked briefly as one of the clouds formed into a particular shape.

The cloud in question looked disturbingly like the Robot Hound, and Velma could've sworn that had it been a bush at the school's front yard, who knows how would've she reacted as the horrific memories from this past Monday come flooding back.

Even so, Velma came close to jumping out of her seat in shock, though the sudden movements from her briefly moving her chair caught the attention of Marcie and the others.

"Velma?" Marcie paused from her explanations. "You okay?"

"Huh?" Velma turned around and saw that all eyes were on her. "I'm...okay."

"You sure?" Marcie asked.

"Of course I'm sure." Velma replied. "Just an itch, that's all."

Marcie glanced at the others and shrugged. "Okay, if you say so."

She then resumed her explanations, and Velma turned back towards the window briefly, during which she saw that the Robot Hound-shaped cloud had disappeared.

* * *

When lunch period was over, everyone in the club were on their way to their third period classes when Marcie pulled Velma aside.

"What?" Velma asked.

Marcie checked to make sure they were alone in the lab, then she turned towards Velma in concern.

"Are you really sure you're okay, Velma?" Marcie asked.

Velma glanced around before she replied, "Of course I am, Marcie. Why?"

"You don't look okay to me, Velms." Marcie said. "In fact, you haven't been yourself lately, not since you and your friends dealt with that tampered Robot Hound's destructive rampage on Monday and the close calls that came with it."

Velma sighed. "Honestly, Marcie, I'm fine. Really, I am!"

"You really sure?" Marcie asked skeptically. "Because I don't consider getting easily wondered off as fine, especially when you've always contributed to the discussions of our thesis for the club, and-"

"Maybe you need to learn to mind yourself, Marcie!" Velma snapped, visibly annoyed by what she perceived to be an intrusion.

Marcie only stared at Velma, then she sighed and turned her way towards the door.

"Okay, if you say so." Marcie shrugged as she took off.

Left alone in the chemistry lab, Velma sighed as she held her notebooks and pencil case and glanced outside the window once more, only to find that the Robot Hound-shaped cloud from earlier had disappeared.

* * *

Later after school, Velma was at her locker as usual getting her belongings and preparing to head home for the weekend.

Her routine was interrupted when a shriek can be heard down the hallway, and she paused and turned around, as did several nearby students.

The source of the shriek came from none other than Fred, who had his right foot lifted up in fright.

It was then that Velma shifted her view, where she got a good look of the source of Fred's shriek.

Turns out the dog standing right beside Fred had its left hing leg lifted up, and Fred didn't realize until too late that he had stepped into the puddle that marks the spot the dog was relieving itself at.

Velma sighed at the sight, and she promptly grabbed her school bag and closed her locker before walking towards Fred.

"Hey." Velma said softly as she approached the blonde.

Fred turned around and sighed. "Hey."

"You okay?" Velma asked.

Gesturing towards the wet spot on the leggings of his jeans, Fred replied, "Other than wetting my pants, courtesy of a dog, I haven't been finer."

"You sure?" Velma arched her eyebrows.

"Sure." Fred shrugged, and for a brief moment, there was some awkward silence between the duo.

Both of them knew what exactly was in each others' minds, though neither of them knew how to bring that up respectfully.

Unable to think of something to say, Velma said, "I suppose I'll see you around."

Fred nodded. "Of course."

He then patted Velma in the back before he took his leave, and Velma turned around and watched him go.

Fred certainly looked okay, but Velma could tell that he probably needed to get something off his chest, the same way she does herself, which then reminded her of what Marcie had said earlier.

It instantly made her regret snapping at Marcie the way she did, and Velma scoffed and shook her head before she thought of something.

"Uh...Freddie?" Velma called out.

Fred stopped and turned around, and Velma rushed over to him. "You don't happen to be free after school, are you?"

The blonde paused briefly before he nodded.

"I've got nothing planned for the rest of the day, so...I suppose I could use a deviation from the usual routine..." Fred trailed off.

"As do I." Velma nodded. "Perhaps...we could go someplace to chill and...maybe talk about stuff, I suppose."

Fred thought briefly before he nodded again. "Sounds like a swell idea."

Velma smiled. "Of course, that is, after you head home to get your jeans changed."

* * *

Meanwhile, Shaggy and Scooby were at home and watching movies as per their usual Friday routine after returning home from school.

As usual, Shaggy's parents were at work, and the duo were relaxed in the living room.

At present, the channel was broadcasting an old black and white gangster movie, and the scene depicts a man seated behind the desk with a magnifying glass.

The man's silence was broken when someone knocked on the door, and the man looked towards the door before asking, "Who is it?"

The door opened and in came another man wearing a fedora, who said, "It's me, Snakes. I got the stuff."

Shaggy and Scooby glanced at each other as the man behind the desk instructed, "Leave it on the doorstep and get the h*ll outta here."

"All right, Johnny." The man at the door said as he held a cigarette before asking, "But what about my money?"

"What money?" The man behind the desk asked, looking annoyed.

"Acey said you had some dough for me." The man at the door explained.

Putting down the magnifying glass, the man at the desk asked, "That a fact? How much do I owe ya?"

"Acey said ten percent." The man at the door replied.

"As in ten percent of the cut for whatever job they've finished?" Shaggy remarked.

"Rounds like it." Scooby replied as the man at the desk smirked and said, "Too bad Acey ain't in charge no more."

The man at the door paused. "What do ya mean?"

"He's upstairs takin' a bath." The man at the desk explained, though both Shaggy and Scooby know what exactly that gangster meant. "He'll call you when he gets out."

"More like this 'Acey' guy is not coming out from his 'bath' after what Johnny did to him, Scoob." Shaggy mused.

"Rith friends like rem, who reeds enemies?" Scooby agreed as the man at the desk continued, "Hey, I tell ya what I'm gonna give _**you**_, Snakes."

Shaggy and Scooby once again glanced at each other as the man at the desk pulls out a machine gun from his desk, stood up, aims it towards the door and continued, "I'm gonna give you to the count of 10, to get your ugly, yella, no-good keister off my property..."

The man then raised his voice as he said, "...before I pump yer guts full of lead!"

At the sight of the machine gun, the man at the door widened his eyes.

"All right, Johnny." The man said, the calmness in his voice betraying the horror and disbelief building inside him. "I'm sorry. I'm goin'!"

The man then proceeded to open the office door while the man with the machine gun began to count.

"1...2..." The man at the desk began to count.

"Oh boy, this is it, Scoob." Shaggy whispered.

Without warning, the man at the desk suddenly barked, "10!"

At the count of ten, the man began to unload bullets right into the other man, during which he began laughing maniacally, and Shaggy and Scooby both resisted the temptation to cover their eyes at the gruesome sight unfolding in front of them on television.

By that point, the man at the door had collapsed onto the floor, and the man at the desk stopped his shooting rampage before he surveyed the scene in front of him.

Seeing that the man at the door was slumped on the floor, the man at the desk continued to hold his weapon as he said, "Keep the change, ya filthy animal!"

Watching the gangster at the desk putting down the machine gun and snapping his fingers, Shaggy turned towards Scooby.

"As you've said, Scoob." Shaggy said. "With friends like those, who needs enemies?"

"Rou said rit, Raggy." Scooby nodded in agreement.

**(What movie (Or more to the point, what fictional movie) are Shaggy and Scooby watching here?)**

It was then that the doorbell rang, and Shaggy muted the television before he and Scooby got up from the sofa and went over to the front door.

When he opened the door, Daphne was standing at the other side.

"Hey Daph." Shaggy said as he opened the door fully and moved out of the way. "What's up?"

"I was still thinking about what happened last night." Daphne replied as she got in. "Where do you guys think she went?"

Shaggy glanced towards Scooby, who shrugged.

"Beats me." Shaggy replied. "I mean, there's got to be someplace she had disappeared into, though there's no way a place would still be open by that time of the night when we lost her."

"I agree." Daphne nodded. "Though on our way home, I caught a glimpse of the lights turning on at the Botanical Gardens."

Shaggy and Scooby shared glances with each other, then the latter said, "Rand?"

"Why do you think someone will be checking on the plants at the Botanical Gardens after closing time?" Daphne frowned.

"Like, perhaps security was patrolling." Shaggy offered. "Though then again, why would they turn on the lights if they've got flashlights?"

"Exactly." Daphne nodded again. "I didn't think too much about the lights on at the Botanical Gardens, though it has occurred to me that the place may be where my Mom was heading towards last night."

"What makes you say that, Daph?" Shaggy and Scooby both arched their eyebrows.

"My Mom had mentioned having had taken up caring for rare plants as a hobby, though she never exactly specified whatever for, since she wasn't even much of a flower-type person." Daphne said.

Shaggy and Scooby glanced at each other once more, then the former said, "Then, I suppose we're gonna be checking out the Botanical Gardens, eh?"

Daphne nodded. "Tonight."

At that revelation, both Shaggy and Scooby swallowed.

* * *

**To all of my readers out there, Merry Christmas!**


	5. An encounter at the Botanic Gardens

Chapter 5: An encounter at the Botanic Gardens

Fred and Velma sat awkwardly at the staff break room of the Crystal Cove Mystery Museum, each holding a coffee cup filled with tea.

For a while, both of them were busy sipping the tea that Angie had offered, not saying much.

After serving a couple more customers at the adjacent gift shop and cafeteria, Angie walked over to the duo.

"Do you two like anything else?" Angie asked as she gestured towards the kitchen and added, "We've got some cookies and other snacks if you're hungry."

"No thanks, Mrs. Dinkley." Fred replied as he held up his cup of tea. "I'm good here."

"Same here, Mom." Velma followed suit. "But thanks anyways."

"No problem." Angie smiled before she turned around and took her leave. "Just let me or your father know if you need anything."

"Of course." Velma nodded before resuming sipping her tea.

Another few minutes of awkward silence followed, and Velma was starting to feel her cheeks burn as she begin to wonder if asking Fred out to talk was a bright idea when neither of them know where or how to start.

Thankfully, Fred happened to be glancing around and his eyes settled onto the newspaper laying on the nearby rack, and the blonde sighed as he noticed the headline.

"Mayor Dad's preparing himself for tonight's mayoral debate." He spoke.

"I figured." Velma nodded as she turned towards Fred. "He's always busy, isn't he?"

"He is." Fred replied. "Heck, I don't think I remember the last time we actually had a normal, regular conversation."

When Velma looked at him quizzically, the blonde clarified. "As in, you know, the type of conversation a parent would normally have with his or her child."

"Besides the usual rhetoric on how our hobby is bad for the town's business?" Velma raised an eyebrow before she nodded. "I understand, especially when your Dad is pushing you to follow his footsteps and enter politics."

"You can say that again." Fred exhaled as he shook his head. "Of course, don't get me wrong, politics and law are interesting subjects, but the notion of having to make promises that you can't keep, not to mention having to compromise between folks holding different views, even if the views of one side is quite questionable, just doesn't seem appealing to me."

"Can't say I blame you." Velma nodded again. "Just what is it with these monster or spooky, mysterious sightings that contributes to the town's economy when other places in the country doesn't seem to rely too much on it for the tourist bucks?"

"Perhaps it is the reason why Crystal Cove is considered the 'Hauntedest Place on Earth'." Fred shrugged. "But even so, how does one expect to live normally when mysterious phenomenon seems to be occurring on a regular basis in this town?"

"Search me." Velma agreed. "The sketchiness of Crystal Cove sure reminds me of the town of Cabot Cove. Always have a murder popping up one way or another, though at least we haven't dealt with mysteries that involves murder...yet."

"And I sure pray that it will never comes to that." Fred nodded. "Though this whole thing with Mr. E and Professor Pericles might be begging to differ."

"Not to mention our run-in with the Robot Hound." Velma winced as she added. "The sheriff's not doing his job properly, and unless we call in the state troopers or even the feds, there's no way this cycle is gonna end anytime soon unless we step up."

"Of course." Fred agreed. "Still doesn't change the fact that Shag's got a point. We really need to be cautious going forward if we want to get to the bottom of this whole mystery."

"And I'll bet that it's gonna take us moving forward from the nightmares from the tangling with the Robot Hound to achieve that." Velma nodded.

Fred nodded. "Don't suppose you don't wanna talk about the nightmares in-depth, lest it triggers a panic attack of sorts, Velms?"

"Yeah, though if we don't get this off our chests, it's gonna blow up one way or another." Velma replied.

"True that." Fred said. "Perhaps if we find a way to relieve ourselves of the stress and fears, then maybe it could help."

Velma nodded. "What do you have in mind?"

Fred sighed as he scratched his head. "Normally, I would've go with building myself a gigantic trap, but I don't think it's gonna do much help in occupying our minds, especially since you don't exactly like trap-building as a hobby."

"I'm sure there's something else that can help us relieve, Freddie." Velma leaned closer towards Fred. "We just need to figure it out."

* * *

That night, over at the Botanic Gardens, Shaggy, Scooby and Daphne waited patiently from a nearby hiding spot as the watchman finishes closing up the greenhouse.

"Like, what do you think we should be looking for in the Gardens, Daph?" Shaggy whispered as they watched the watchman turning off the lights.

"Hopefully, something that would tell us what my mother was doing, not to mention anything that can help us get to the bottom of this mystery." Daphne replied.

"Ranything specific?" Scooby perked up.

The redhead sighed. "At this stage, I suppose anything we find would help, Scooby."

Scooby nodded, and Shaggy perked up as the watchman closed and locked the door to the greenhouse.

Placing a pair of binoculars at his eyes, Shaggy watched the watchman taking his leave before he reported, "I think the watchman's done for the night, guys."

Daphne arched her eyebrows briefly as she stretched her hand out, and Shaggy wordlessly handed her the pair of binoculars.

Once the redhead saw that the watchman has gathered his tools and wasn't turning back, she put down the binoculars and got up.

"Alright, let's get moving, guys." Daphne instructed.

Shaggy and Scooby both nodded as they proceeded to follow the redhead's lead.

Upon reaching the locked entrance door, the trio stopped before Daphne reached into her purse and took out a few picks, then she proceeded to work on picking the lock open.

As Daphne worked on the locks, Shaggy and Scooby glanced around with the former gripping the pair of binoculars.

There was no one he could see that was looking towards the Gardens, let alone be around observing them.

Even so, he and Scooby remained on alert as Scooby's ears perked up, waiting for any signs of the silent alarm being triggered by the break-in they're about to commit.

Fortunately, the suspense didn't last too long as Daphne finally managed to unlock the door, and Scooby's relaxation was a confirmation that the silent alarm didn't went off the minute the redhead succeeded in unlocking the door.

"Come on." Daphne urged after she put her picks back in her purse, and the trio simultaneously turned on their flashlights on before they entered the greenhouse.

The minute they entered, they were almost immediately greeted by the warm temperature and the horrendous smell of fertilizer.

"Jeepers, this place sure is warm and smells." Daphne remarked as she covered her nose briefly.

"Yeah, can you help it when the tropical temperatures in here further enhances the horrendous smell in here?" Shaggy gagged.

"No kidding." Daphne said. "Come on!"

With the redhead leading the way, the trio slowly made their way into the greenhouse and looked around.

However, the minute they were all inside, the door closed on its own, briefly scaring the trio.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed as Scooby briefly jumped into his arms in fright.

Panting, Daphne glanced at the door briefly before she said, "I'm sure that was just the wind, guys."

Shaggy nodded before resuming, though as they continued on further into the greenhouse, a mysterious-looking figure can be seen watching them with glowing light purple eyes.

With the lights off and the surrounding darkness, their surroundings looked very eerie, especially with the presence of long plants with thorns.

"Like, I could've sworn that some of the plants around here are alive." Shaggy swallowed.

"Rust like re man-reating vine." Scooby piped up.

Daphne didn't say anything as she continued to look around, and then her flashlight settled onto something.

"Oh...now that's interesting." The redhead declared as she turned left.

"What is?" Shaggy asked as he and Scooby turned towards her.

Daphne stopped as she came upon a star-shaped orchid, and she took a closer look at the plant before she said, "This is a specimen of the very rare and endangered Star Orchid, guys."

"Star Orchid?" Shaggy asked. "Like, isn't that particular species of orchid requires a very precise growing environment?"

"That's right." Daphne nodded as she turned towards Shaggy and Scooby. "The temperature and humidity of the growing environment needs to be exactly to the specifications of its native habitat in the Amazon rainforest, for any drier would result in the distortion of the scarlet-pink colour."

Scooby whistled. "Which rakes rit very expensive."

"Exactly." Daphne said. "This particular orchid has pollen that is a key ingredient to certain makeup used for making skin younger."

"And the pollen's youth ingredients can only prosper in the exact growing environment of its native habitat." Shaggy interjected.

"That's right, Shag." Daphne replied.

It was that moment that the trio heard a loud shriek, and they gasped and turned around.

Their flashlights shined onto the nearby trees, where recent movement has rattled the leaves.

"What was that?" Daphne asked.

Shaggy glanced around as he shined his flashlight towards a nearby tree, only for the light to shine onto a figure hanging upside down from the tree branch.

As soon as the flashlight shined onto it, the figure suddenly shrieked loudly and swung its arms open.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed as he dropped his flashlight in fright.

"Rit's re rampire!" Scooby added.

As if on cue, the vampire swiftly lunged towards the trio, who promptly took off running.

"Gangway!" Shaggy shouted as the vampire leaped into the air before diving down towards them.

* * *

**Please read and review!**


End file.
